SF State student charged with battery on officer at Berkeley rally

SF State student charged with battery on officer at Berkeley rally

***additional reporting by Brian Neumann***

An SF State Student was charged with battery on a police officer and resisting arrest Tuesday afternoon in connection with this weekend’s events in Berkeley.

Yesania Mendez, 22, attended East County Hall of Justice in Alameda County where six other people were expected to be arraigned and charged. Mendez’s bail was lowered to $5,000 from its original $25,000.

Mendez attended her court hearing alongside her service dog, a German Shepherd breed, which was also used as a “defense mechanism” to escape arrest.

Officer Turney, who Mendez threw an apple at, wrote in his statement that Mendez escaped her handcuffs and ran from police, only to be caught and arrested again.

The other 13 people who attended the Berkeley rally were either not charged, posted bail, released, or were cited. Mendez is the only one to be charged so far.